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Band Fashion
- Thread starter Buck_BassMan94
- Start date
Ok, for the op, Buck_BassMan94, you have probably figured out by now that if you ask for an opinion on this forum you'll get plenty of replies. That's great. It's what makes this a wonderful place to visit and learn from others. But how to sort them out you ask?
It's simple. Be yourself. You're a grown-a$$-man. Wear what you want and let your playing speak for itself.
My band mates and I have a great time ribbing each other on stage and interacting with the audience. We have fun on stage and it shows. None of us are virtuosos but we're all solid and good at what we do.
Over the last ten years, we have averaged 45 gigs per year. Even last year, 2020, we had 35 gigs. We turn down somewhere between 8-12 gigs a year due to other commitments. In all those shows, I might have had on long pants in 50 out of the +/-450 gigs. Most shows, at least 3 out of 5 of us will be in shorts with either flops or sandals or Birks or Crocks. Sometimes even barefoot. OH the horror!
NEVER have we been told we would not be invited back because of our stage attire.
If anyone ever tells me they would like us better if we all dressed "better" (whatever that means), I'll put out a full page apology to all of TB in the New York Times.
Till then, I'm a fat old man with a long gray beard and a pony tail and I really don't care what anyone thinks about the way I dress. On-stage or off. (see post #9 in this thread)
And, to all the people who will tell you it's "UN-professional" or "you wont ever get hired again at some venue" because you were wearing something that they don't like, well, that's just absurd.
It's live music people. If we can't feel free to play and sound and dress and be ourselves, then we might as well stay home, play for ourselves, and let the club-owners hire DJ's.
B.
It's simple. Be yourself. You're a grown-a$$-man. Wear what you want and let your playing speak for itself.
My band mates and I have a great time ribbing each other on stage and interacting with the audience. We have fun on stage and it shows. None of us are virtuosos but we're all solid and good at what we do.
Over the last ten years, we have averaged 45 gigs per year. Even last year, 2020, we had 35 gigs. We turn down somewhere between 8-12 gigs a year due to other commitments. In all those shows, I might have had on long pants in 50 out of the +/-450 gigs. Most shows, at least 3 out of 5 of us will be in shorts with either flops or sandals or Birks or Crocks. Sometimes even barefoot. OH the horror!
NEVER have we been told we would not be invited back because of our stage attire.
If anyone ever tells me they would like us better if we all dressed "better" (whatever that means), I'll put out a full page apology to all of TB in the New York Times.
Till then, I'm a fat old man with a long gray beard and a pony tail and I really don't care what anyone thinks about the way I dress. On-stage or off. (see post #9 in this thread)
And, to all the people who will tell you it's "UN-professional" or "you wont ever get hired again at some venue" because you were wearing something that they don't like, well, that's just absurd.
It's live music people. If we can't feel free to play and sound and dress and be ourselves, then we might as well stay home, play for ourselves, and let the club-owners hire DJ's.
B.
Please just carry on talking about what you want to talk about. If I hate it or find it repetitive, it’s super easy to just not read or participate. But I like your topics so far!
No one will ever tell you that unless it's particularly egregious. Heck, people might not even consciously notice. My friend had long hair at an office job, and nobody said anything to him for years, until a guy who was mentoring him decided to let him know. The guy specifically said that nobody would say anything about it, but it would prevent him from moving beyond a certain level. A similar thing happens with your image as a musician, but it's a little more nebulous in this field. If you're fine with getting gigs for people who dress like schlubs, it's no problem. Not everybody needs to have ambitions for their music. We're here to talk about music, not get the best gigs. But don't pretend that it doesn't matter just because there are gigs available for schlubs.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,908
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- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
You're an entertainer and a musician even if you're not the focus of your band, this looks like a nice show that you're playing, dressing well is respectful of your audience and helps you further on down the line, dress like a pro and get paid like one.
Find a look that is genuine to you, not contrived and make it yours, own it, rock and roll is fashion - in many different forms. I am, no doubt one of the more flamboyant people here on TB, I can you tell that dressing for a show has gotten me paid very well and a lot of high profile shows for 15 years.
I've even worn hot pants.....
Well, a few times a year, we share the stage with, or open for, nationally know acts. If we're "schulbs" then I guess we're pretty good "schulbs". For a bunch of pot-bellied grandpas in a part-time hobby band, we sure do have a good time.
In my previous replies I have refrained from name calling and tried not to insult anyone.
I'll stick to that. Peace.
B.
I really want to emphasize that there is really no problem with not being overly ambitious. I, too, am a hobbyist who probably has a similar ceiling to you, regardless of how I dress, because of my priorities. I apologize if I offended you. It seemed like you were characterizing your own appearance as schlubby, which is why I used it. I didn't mean to be insulting.
However, those I've known who have prioritized music and have made the leap beyond where we are/have been (it's hard to stay in the same band when moving continents) have all paid attention to how they present themselves on stage. They are, of course, fantastic musicians, but so are many others who never made the leap. Of course, a lot of factors go into it, but appearance is absolutely one of those factors and I think it's hard to pretend it's not.
No worries. And if I have offended anyone, it certainly was not my intention.
I went back and looked a lot of the previous replies and it's obvious my opinion is in the minority. And by a pretty big margin.
And I'm ok with that.
I just hope the op, Buck_BassMan94, finds the answer that works best for him and his band.
B.
Typically it's a casual dress shirt, nice/dressy jeans (not "dad" cut Levi's from Costco), and Doc Martens for me. If it's outdoors and warm, I might wear a short-sleeved western-style plaid shirt. Lately, I've been wearing a scally cap to keep my hair out of my face. I usually don't wear solid black shirts because they blend in with the surroundings too much. I guess I try to "dress the part."
Dude, I absolutely agree. Being yourself is what makes this whole music thing fun. My group has played together for a long time now but just recently started to “gig” more seriously. We enjoy the cohesive look and that’s why we do it. But, if we weren’t having fun doing that then we’d go another direction. For me, if it’s not making you happy then you shouldn’t do it.
In the gig pictured in my original post we were opening for a reasonably known artist who is transitioning from more writing to more performing. I don’t know the etiquette for this so I won’t say the name. But, this was the first time we really focused on our “look”. That’s what sparked these thoughts in my head. We looked every bit as professional as the headliners in terms of clothes. I think that helped show we were taking it seriously and combined with our playing has opened up a new level of business for us through the connections we’ve made. But, that being said for smaller gigs we don’t worry about this as much.
